@article{ref1,
title="Fiji's worst natural disaster: the 1931 hurricane and flood",
journal="Disasters",
year="2010",
author="Yeo, Stephen W. and Blong, Russell J.",
volume="34",
number="3",
pages="657-683",
abstract="At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people-especially recently settled Indian farmers-occupying highly exposed floodplains in north-west Viti Levu island. The likelihood of a flood disaster of such proportions occurring today has been diminished by changed settlement patterns and building materials; however, a trend towards re-occupancy of floodplains, sometimes in fragile dwellings, is exposing new generations to flood risks. The contribution of this paper to the global hazards literature is set out in three sections: the ethnicity, gender and age of flood fatalities; the naturalness of disasters; and the merit of choice and constraint as explanations for patterns of vulnerability.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0361-3666",
doi="10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01163.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01163.x"
}